Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-03-31
,ney at the very apex Of the roof, and a =

t'Hoy dt tH0 very apex OF the rOO1, ana a
low, old-fashioned piazza on the west
ern front. Two great elm-trees bent
| protectingly over it, an orchard of
gnarled apple-trees was in the rear,
the vegetable garden at one side, and
a small yard in front, where, as the
two boys entered the gate, Miss Smith
herself was raking away the dead
leaves from bed of upspringing GRO
| cuses.
At their approach Miss Smith threw
| her sun-bonrfet back. and, straighter
| ing up the rake-handle, stood stif1y
erect, clasping it between her gloved
| hands-something like the manner of
sentinel with his musket when not on
active duty-as she stared very hard at
Tad, whose heart was beating furiously.
$50 this is the boy" she said, in an
uncompromising sort of voice-her re-
mark seemingly addressed to herself
'.humph!' ~ So Fz.= 9g z
This was by no means encoura cling,
and Tad's hopes went down below zero
with considerable rapidity. Joe stood
a little at one side, with shadowy look
of expectancy ON his freckled face. &
"How old are you, Tad?" suddenly
shrieked Miss Smith, with such unex-
pected energy that mechanically Tad
| clapped his hands to his ears.
"Fourteen-in my fifteenth yearr'
shouted Tad, whose face became quite
crimson through the exertion. So did
Joe's, but from a different cause.
Nc, -+o Io o1-
ly.
''Mercy on us!'' she exclaimed.
''Why don't you speak a little lsuderr'
she added, in a sarcastic sort of roar
Il said fourteen, marm-in my fif-
teenth year," Tad yelled, with the full
power of his lungs; for, unfortunately,
he took her ironical suggestion in per-
feet good-faith.
Miss Smith dropped the rake-handle,
and sat down on the piazza steps.
Joe, whoes face was of lively purple
which extended to his ear-tips, began
to edge toward the gate. r-~
..f on won't do, boy" screamed Miss
Smith, so shrilly that John Doty, who
was blowing in an adjoining field,
stopped his oxen and looked wonder
ingly across at the cold Smith place."
as it was locally called, while Sa-
mantha Mason, Miss Smiths ''hired
help" rushed bare-armed from the
kitchen, with vague impression that
Miss Smith was in Mysteries.
81 can't hire any one as deaf as you
are, and run the risk of breaking
blood-vessel hollering to you," con-
tinued Miss Smith in the same high
key, as Tad stood COMPOUNDED and de-
spondent at her abrupt refusal; "be-
sides, I'm not so hard of hearing as
all that comes to, and your voice goes
through my head like a knife-yah-h-h!
with which concluding ejaculation
Miss Smith put her hands to the
sides of her pasteboard sun-bonnet and
shuddered. ''Why, l amt deaf, marmr'
wonderingly exclaimed Tad, dropping
his voice several octaves, land l
wouldn't have spoke SO loud only Joe
said yom was hard of hearing, an if he
was me he'd speak up good and loud"
Joe could stand it no longer. With
an explosive yell of laughter he lodged
through the gate, and, dropping in the
green sward, at safe distance,
doubled himself up in an ecstasy of I'M
seemly mirth.
"Joe Whitney," gasped Miss Smith,
starting to her feet and shaking her
finger threatening in the direction of
the PROSTATE practical joker, as the